When Dreams Do Come
by yosakazure
Summary: A very short fic of soul mates reuniting in a dream.


[A/N: I've been crying a lot lately. I don't even know why. I've written a lot of sad stuff lately with bittersweet endings, but I'm generally a happy person, really. But lately my chest has felt heavy. I have friends that needed help and there is nothing I can do...maybe I feel guilt mixed with grief. That's what it feels like, anyway, this bitter weight in my throat that keeps my mind foggy and my eyesight constantly blurred. It hurts so much that I sometimes can't sleep and two songs come to memory: "Bonding" and "Kioku-muki Ou" from the Yu-Gi-Oh! sound duel CDs. "Bonding" makes me think of Yugi and Atem's relationship and all they've gone through together. I don't even think it plays with the two on-screen in the anime. But I haven't watched the Japanese version that much to remember accurately. But there are highs in the song and then a low, and then a sweet chorus like a lullaby towards the end that just assures you everything is going to be okay even if the tone of the piano has gotten deeper...like Atem's leaving. It seems like a sad time, but there is a sweetness in knowing that his suffering is over and that Yugi can move on.

Then there is "Kioku-muki ou". It's from Sound Duel 4 and clearly has the Egyptian influence in it. It sounds so mournful that all I can think of is Atem being alone and how lost he must've felt...in general, really. So I think of a song that reminds me of togetherness and one of the despair of being alone. And as these songs play in my head, I close my eyes and attempt to sleep, but the following is what I see instead. Warning, this might not even go anywhere so I hope I don't waste anybody's time.]

White.

It's so bright. Everywhere...it's shockingly white. Like the blank pages of a book or an unpainted canvas...it's scary how empty it is but exciting too. It's almost like anything can happen here.

Yugi walked around this strange place, looking around for any semblance of SOMETHING. Below him his bare feet didn't feel like they were walking on solid floor and it didn't look like it either. As he looked down, the white floor rippled around his footsteps as if he were walking on water. When it wasn't distorted, it reflected his face and he began to wonder if the floor was even white and that perhaps it just appeared white because it was reflecting everything else.

The duelist with the tri-colored hair squatted down and reached out to touch the floor, watching in fascination as the ripples danced around his fingers but his hand didn't get wet. He then saw what he was wearing, a simple flowing kimono of white silk. The fabric felt so light on his skin that he didn't even realize he was wearing it. Then he began to doubt it was even there at all until he chose to focus on it. As he stared into his reflection, a small smile appeared on his face.

"This must be a dream..." he spoke to his reflection in a soft voice.

"Or is it?" questioned another baritone voice that shattered the silence and startled the small teen, despite the fact that it too was spoken softly.

Yugi had fallen backward in surprise and scrambled to get up and find the source of the voice. He looked around left and right, up and down, and then there it was a few meters away from him. Atem, the once nameless pharaoh was dressed in a white tunic and lounging lazily on an ornately carved lounger sofa (think fainting couch) that looked like it could've been carved out of ivory but as Yugi drew nearer, it actually resembled white wicker that was so tightly woven it looked like a solid piece. But enough about the couch, Atem himself was dressed very simply, all things considering. There wasn't any hint of gold on his person or any other color for that matter. The tunic was made of sheer linen that wrapped around his shoulders and waist and trailed down to his feet, tied together only by a wide white sash that kept him decent and on his feet were simple white slippers. But even without the over-the-top glitz and glam of jewels and colorful robes, the pharaoh still exuded elegance and regality even as he laid back in the lounger like he had just awoken from a snooze.

As Yugi inched nearer, he began to feel his heart pound in his chest and he feels like he has forgotten how to breathe...had he even been breathing since he got here? "But you're not...I'm not...?" he questioned, almost afraid of the answer.

"Dead?" the pharaoh chuckled and sat up, patting the now open spot on the couch to invite Yugi to sit down. "I don't think so, aibou. But who is to say, really?"

Yugi sat down and pulled his legs in, tilting his head at Atem, "What do you mean?"

"To you, I am dead. But you always have been able to see me in your dreams, haven't you? Whether I was in the puzzle or not. On the other side, life itself is seen as merely a dream and death is waking up. So if that were the case, aibou..." the pharaoh's crimson irises looked into Yugi's large violet ones as he gently reached for the teen's hand and clutched it in his own, "What if YOU'RE the dream that I woke up from?" He sighed sadly and lifted Yugi's hand to nuzzle his cheek into his palm.

Yugi's eyes began to feel heavy with tears as he caressed Atem's cheek. He scooted closer to his former partner and rested his forehead against his. "Maybe there is no life and death after all...maybe it's all just dreams. Maybe we were just dreaming of each other this whole time."

"If that's the case, our dreams are so cruel," Atem pointed out.

"Better to have dreamed once?" Yugi asked though he didn't quite buy it himself. Life has been really cruel to both of them. It made Atem stay alone for so long but let them stay together for little to no time at all. Death had once thought to have been a mercy but now it was the only thing keeping the two apart. Dreams really were the middle ground that kept the two of them connected, whether each other was really there or not.

"If I dreamed of nothing else but you, I'd have no complaints," the pharaoh admitted.

"How do I even know that you're really here?" Yugi asked.

"I could ask you the same question. In fact, we may never know. But it feels real to me. To touch you like this, to hold your hand again, my feelings are real and I know yours are too. That should be enough."

"You're right, it is," Yugi smiled and crawled into Atem's lap, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

The former pharaoh sighed blissfully and wrapped his arms around his petite partner, inhaling the sweet scent of his soft, spiky hair. The joy of nostalgia sent a tiny shiver down his spine and he shuddered a little as he tried to contain his intense emotion.

"Do you feel cold?" Yugi asked.

"I was until you arrived. I've always felt a little colder since I left. Even with all the sunshine of Paradise and the love of my family and friends, it doesn't compare to the warmth I felt when your heart was close to mine."

Yugi nodded and burrowed closer into Atem's embrace, his ear pressed against the tanned chest to listen to his steady heartbeat. The shift in position made Atem look down questioningly but Yugi answered without him having to ask, "I've never had the chance to hear this before. But I've always felt it."

"The voice of your heart always drew me from even the darkest places. Even now, I still hear it sometimes like a faraway song. Maybe that's why we're both here," Atem mused while lying back on the lounger with Yugi still held comfortably in his arms, allowing the teen to lie on top of him and still listen to the tender lullaby that was sung from both their hearts. His eyes began to drift closed as he idly stroked Yugi's hair.

Yugi's own eyelids were beginning to droop as he draped himself over Atem. His fingers drifted lazily over the soft linen that barely concealed his partner's sculpted form and he gently traced the outline of his left bicep as he barely stayed awake. Despite the both of them drifting off, neither tried to fight off the urge to sleep. After all, they both were right where they wanted to be.

"Atem...?"

"Hm?"

"Will you stay with me?"

"I never left, aibou. Not really. After all, I'm right here, aren't I? Just call me with your heart like you always have. I'll find my way to you."

"Promise?"

"As long as you always have a place in your heart for me to stay."

"Of course. And you will always think of me, too?"

"I never stopped."

"Then we can see each other whenever we want..." Yugi sighed happily before finally drifting away.

"I think so, too. Neither of us have to wonder anymore..." Atem agreed quietly as all thoughts disappeared as well and there was nothing left.

Dreams are like a blank canvas; so much potential and so many colors to spill on one surface. The boundaries seem as limitless as the stars in the sky. Though the fine details may fade and disappear once we awaken, it's the emotion we felt and feelings that we had that stay with us the most, whether it be the warmth of a long lost loved one, the thrill of falling, the embrace of a lover we've never met, or the ache of loss relived. Though one must not dwell on dreams and forget to live, dreams do provide a good occassional reminder of what it is we live for and how much there still is to experience. 


End file.
